Beck: Cognitive Depression

Question 1

Aim?

Answer 1

To understand cognitive distortions in patients with depression.

Question 2

Method?

Answer 2

Clinical interviews with patients undergoing therapy for depression

Question 3

Design?

Answer 3

Independent measures

Question 4

PPs?

Answer 4

• 50 (16m, 34f) with depression aged 18-48, middle/upper class, average or above intelligence
• 31 non-depressed control group

Question 5

Procedure?

Answer 5

• face to face interviews
• reports of patients’ thoughts before and during session
• diaries often kept+brought to sessions

Question 6

Results?

Answer 6

Themes in depressed patients:
•low self-esteem
•self-blame
•overwhelming responsibilities
•desire to escape
•anxiety
•paranoia 

• often regarded themselves as inferior
• distortions were involuntary, plausible and persistent

Question 7

Conclusions?

Answer 7

Patients showed cognitive distortions that deviated from logical and realistic thinking. This only related to depression and no other disorder.

Question 8

Strengths?

Answer 8

• useful for explaining depression, high practicality
• independent measures= no order effects
• gain an insight into thoughts+feelings

Question 9

Weaknesses?

Answer 9

• social desirability
• small sample= low reliability
• researcher bias
• independent measures= pp variables
• subjective, doesn’t support PAS
• invasion of privacy

Question 10

Cognitive approach?

Answer 10

=depression as a result of faulty negative thinking
Negative cognitive triad:
1. Overgeneralise= assume on the basis of one negative event that others will have same negative outcomes
2. Non-logical inference= tendency to infer without logical cause from a negative event
3. Dichotomous thinking= see things in either/or terms, having selective recall of neg events